Trend forecast: Ace Hotels

It's the company you keep as much as the real estate you inhabit
that determines the staying power of next-generation boutique
hotels, says Ace Hotels' chief brand officer, Kelly Sawdon.
"Finding like-minded people and being able to hear what things
excite them - that can really be the key to unlocking a city," she
says.

Sawdon, who spoke in Sydney recently at the Semi Permanent
design festival, says Australia remains on Ace's radar for
expansion, along with Cuba, Europe and South East Asia, though she
offered no time frame. "It's really more about finding the right
partners, the right project, the right city," says Sawdon. "When
all of those stars align, that's when you know you have something
special."

In a decade with the dynamic hotel group, Sawdon has overseen
the opening of eight hotels in North America and one in London,
each property uniquely fine-tuned to reflect its location and
community. As head of Atelier Ace, she'sinvolved in everything from
interior and graphic design to food and drink offerings and online
stores.

Ace Hotel, New Orleans.

Ace Hotel has based its business on an "anti-velvet rope"
approach to hospitality, which draws on the energy and expertise of
local creatives to help turn faded or low-profile neighbourhoods
into destinations. To this end Sawdon has helped broker
partnerships with artists, and brands such as Opening Ceremony,
London Design Festival, Coachella and APC. At its new hotel in New
Orleans, which opened in March in a former furniture store in the
Warehouse District, the "minibar" is stocked with Louisiana jazz,
zydeco and Cajun vinyl, and the hotel has teamed with local
organisations such as Liberty's Kitchen to help at-risk youth find
jobs.

"In new cities, people really want to find things that make them
feel like they've immersed themselves in the culture of that
community," Sawdon says.